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Iran plans to cut road fatalities by quarter in two years: Official

Saturday, 14 February 2015 5:27 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 14 February 2015 5:27 PM ]

Iranian police is trying to reduce the road fatalities across the country. (File photo)

Iran’s traffic police chief says a plan is in gear to reduce the road fatalities in the country by nearly a quarter until 2016.

Brigadier General Eskandar Mo'meni said Saturday that the plan will bring the total number of people killed in roads across Iran to nearly 14,000, down from the current 17,000.

He added that the rate of fatalities in Iran is 6.5 people per 10,000 vehicles annually and plans are underway to bring down the rate to four people per 10,000 vehicles by 2016.

Mo'meni said one of the major components of the new plan would be to reform the current system of issuing driving licenses in Iran. He said the police plans to centralize driving exams and hold them several times a year. The current system requires drivers to renew their licenses once every five years and driving schools hold exams across the country.

Iran has one of the highest rates of road fatalities in the world. This has imposed huge social and financial costs on the country over the years.

The high number of deaths in traffic accidents comes despite major steps taken by the Iranian government over the past years for the enhancement of the quality of its roads and improvement of the safety standards in its automotive industry.

MS/HMV/SS

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